I've Got Your Love, You've Got My Book
by Kris Wright
Summary: JJ This is my own version of Season 5. Lorelai and Luke may have finally started their relationship as more than friends, but is Jason really gone? What about Rory and Dean? Will they end up together or will they finally go their seperate ways? RR please!
1. Digger and Omlauts

A/N: Here I am with another story! I felt like writing this because all the JavaJunkie stories I wanted to read I had already read or they weren't written well. Oh well, here is a story that I hope you all will like. This is my own season five.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except the ones you have never heard of before. Ok? Ok, we're good.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
"Holy crap! What the hell just happened back there?" Lorelai asked herself as she drove back to the inn. After Rory yelled at her Lorelai became upset and left with a quick goodbye and didn't look back. She knew she should have been there for Rory, but she couldn't with all of the other stuff she needed to do. As she mentally added making up with Rory to her to-do list, she realized that her list had gotten extremely long in a short period of time. Get ready for the opening of the inn, getting her parents back together, Jason, and then Luke. "Oh God, Luke!" She exclaimed. She remembered those two powerful kisses that had left her stunned and amazed. She didn't want to cross that line with Luke but now that she had stepped on it, the other side looked much more appealing than the side she was on right now that she was tempted to cross it.  
  
She arrived at the inn and sighed. The front door was still open and the lights were still pouring out of the rooms inside. She was supposed to close everything up, but too many things happened too quickly. As she was walking up the steps, she strained her ears to make sure that Jason had left. She heard no noise anywhere. When she walked toward the waiting room, she heard someone sneeze. She turned around quickly to see who was in the room. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw Luke sitting down on the chair faced away from her.  
  
"Bless you," she said.  
  
He turned around quickly. "Jeez, Lorelai, you almost gave me a heart attack."  
  
"Well, you could have given yourself one if you keep on sneezing. Did you know that? If you sneeze, like, more than seven times you could die? I mean, that's kind of scary, so always make sure-"  
  
"Lorelai," Luke interrupted her babble. "You're really crazy, you know that?"  
  
She sat down next to him. "Yeah, I amaze myself, sometimes."  
  
He looked closely at her and could see that she was focusing on something. "Lorelai, are you ok?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Oh hey, how's Kirk huh? I don't know why I thought of that, must have been that pale butt just staring me in the face as he was running, you know?"  
  
"What's wrong?" He grabbed one of her hands and held it lightly in his own.  
  
She looked at their hands and sighed heavily. "This night has been all sorts of crazy. I just want it to end." She closed her eyes and rubbed them with her free hand. "God I'm a mess. Do I look it?" She asked taking her hand away from her face.  
  
He stared at her. "You're beautiful."  
  
"You're lying. But I thank you for the good lie, you should do it more often, you could be quite good."  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. "I mean it. I mean you are always...you know..." he said becoming slightly awkward.  
  
"Beautiful?" She said aiding him.  
  
"Yeah, and, just don't think... you know..."  
  
"Otherwise?"  
  
He smirked. "Yeah."  
  
She smiled at him. "Thanks." They were staring at each other for a few seconds until Luke started to lean in...  
  
"Lorelai!"  
  
Lorelai looked away from Luke and turned to face the unknown voice. She sighed and mumbled, "Could this night get any more worse?" She released Luke's hand and stood up. "What do you want Jason?" she asked with audible exhaustion.  
  
"I told you I wanted to talk," he said walking into the room. "Where did you go, I've been looking all over for you."  
  
"That's none of your business. You shouldn't even be here, Jason."  
  
"Lorelai I love you, and I know you love me, too, we're meant to spend th-" he stopped and looked down at Luke who was staring at Jason angrily. "Duke?" He looked up at Lorelai. "What is Duke doing down here?"  
  
"Again, none of your business, and his name is Luke. With an 'L' the only person who's name starts with a 'D' is yours, Digger," she said venomously.  
  
"Oh, are we doing pet names? Ok, Omlauts, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and if I have to prove that in front of your friend, well then I will."  
  
"God, Jason! Can't you just leave me alone? I've made it very clear to you that we're through, why can't you just accept that?" Lorelai said throwing her hands in the air.  
  
"Because I don't want to end this without a fight." He took a deep breath and got down on one knee.  
  
Lorelai's eyes suddenly got very huge and Luke looked like he was going to have an aneurism. "Wh...what are you doing?" She asked.  
  
"Lorelai..."  
  
"Oh God..."  
  
"I love you..."  
  
"This can't be happening..."  
  
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you..."  
  
"No, please..."  
  
"Will you marry me?"  
  
"Holy Jesus it is."  
  
"Well?" Jason asked while taking a small velvet box out of his pocket.  
  
"You had this planned?"  
  
"Of course, you know I like to plan ahead, Shnookums."  
  
"What did you call me?" She turned to face Luke. "What did he call me? What the hell happened?"  
  
"Lorelai, say yes, and you'll make me the happiest man on the earth." Lorelai sat down and put her head in her hands. "Ok, you can think about it, I'll just give you a few minutes."  
  
"Don't you think for one second I'm contemplating this." She lifted her head up and looked at him in the eyes. "Even if for one second I did say yes, it wouldn't even be a relationship, we never were really in a real relationship."  
  
"What are you talking about? We're made for each other."  
  
"No we're not! What kind of person has the most perfect bedroom and doesn't even sleep in it? You sleep in a room with absolutely nothing in it! Just a bed!"  
  
"Lorelai, I've told you I have-"  
  
"Yeah yeah, something to do with insomnia, I got it. You can't be in a real relationship and not even be able to sleep in the same bed as them. That's just stupid. Take some freaking Ambien for Christ's sake!"  
  
"Ok, I'll try that, fo-"  
  
"Don't you say it's for me! I don't want to be apart of your life anymore, Jason. And I sure as hell don't want you apart of mine."  
  
"Why? I thought we were-"  
  
"No, you thought that. I never said anything."  
  
"Yeah, you also didn't say anything about ending this, either."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "God, Jason. Yes I did. I specifically told you that I can't be with anyone who sues my family."  
  
"But I dropped it, Lorelai."  
  
"I know you did, but the fact that you were even thinking about it makes me sick," she was barely talking at a whisper and Jason had to slightly lean in to hear what she was saying.  
  
"Omlauts..."  
  
"I've moved on, Jason. You should too."  
  
"You've moved on?" he asked, his voice slightly getting louder. "With who?" He then looked over at Luke. "Duke? Don't tell me you're choosing him over me!"  
  
"So what if I have, Jason? He doesn't make me frustrated and want to pull my hair out."  
  
"How long has this been going on?" he asked accusatorily.  
  
Luke gave him a hard look. "Not very long, so don't think I was cheating on you, Jason. I'm not that kind of person, you know," Lorelai said. She then gave a huge yawn.  
  
"You need to get to bed," Luke said standing up and then gently pulling her up.  
  
"No wait, I'm not done yet," Jason said standing up as well.  
  
"You're done, Digger, go home," Luke said as he put his arm around Lorelai's shoulders.  
  
"Lorelai..."  
  
"Goodbye, Jason. Don't ever come back, you're too exhausting," Lorelai said as she placed her head on Luke's shoulder and sighed.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Luke brought her up to her room and sat her on her bed. "You gonna be ok, now?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, thank you, Luke."  
  
"Sure," he said giving her a small smile. He kissed her forehead and walked over to the door.  
  
"Luke?"  
  
He turned around. "Yeah?"  
  
"Can you lock up downstairs for me?" she asked as she placed her head on the pillow.  
  
"Of course." He noticed her peaceful breathing and realized that she was asleep. He thought her to be the most beautiful sleeping being he had ever seen and smiled shyly as he realized that he was watching her sleep. "'Night," he whispered softly and head downstairs to lock up the inn and to protect Lorelai from her ex-boyfriend, Jason.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: What do you think? Good first chapter? Give me your thoughts, please. I don't know if Luke was gruff enough, if not, just let me know and I'll make him more LUKE in the next chapter. Without your comments, dear readers, this story may as well suck. I can't live without that! I'll also have more Rory in here as well, but this is only the night of the Test Run, and there is still more to come... Au revoir for now! 


	2. Teddy Bear

A/N: I inspired myself so here is a new chapter! Thanks to all that reviewed! Especially to my anonymous reviewer, I type so fast, I forget to fix my errors, thank you for telling me about my "your/you're" problem. Boy would my English teacher be mad at me for that one! Now, enjoy the chapter!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
Luke and Lorelai were sitting on Lorelai's bed in the inn. They were kissing each other with deep passion that they didn't bother to listen to the yells that were going on outside the room. Luke's hands were running up and down Lorelai's back as Lorelai had one hand running through his hair and one hand on his cheek.  
  
Suddenly Rory burst into the room wearing a cheap brown dress with white flower patterns on it. Her stomach was bulging out in front of her, and she was waddling as quickly as possible.  
  
"Mom!" Lorelai and Luke broke apart to look at Rory. "It's time!" When she finished saying that, her stomach burst open and eight babies with Dean's head can running out of her quickly deflating stomach.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai sat up in her bed with a cold sweat. She looked over at the clock and noticed that it was only three in the morning. She sighed and swung her legs over the bed. She put her head in her hands and replayed the details of her dream in her head. She was completely confused and she wanted her dream analyzed, unfortunately, her doctor was out.  
  
She stood up and noticed that she was still dressed. "Jesus Christ," she murmured as she walked to the door to get some fresh air.  
  
She let her feet talk her to wherever they would take her. When Lorelai felt herself stop, she noticed that she had stopped in front of Luke's room. _How ironic_, she thought. She lightly knocked on the door and few seconds later had closed her eyes from the bright light pouring from Luke's open door.  
  
"Lorelai? What's wrong?" Luke asked when he opened the door.  
  
"Uh, I need to talk..." she said while shifting her weight on each of her feet. He moved to the side to let her in, but confusion was written all over his face.  
  
"What happened?" he asked once he had closed the door.  
  
She sat down on his unmade bed and slightly pouted. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. The next second she had burst into tears and leaned into his chest. She grabbed his shirt and held on to it as she let go of all of her stress.  
  
After a few minutes, the tears had slowed she had calmed herself enough to pull away from Luke. As Lorelai wiped her eyes, she looked at him with a frown. "I'm sorry, but this hasn't been the best night of my life." She saw him tense up and slowly back away from her. "No! Not that, but that did add to my stress a little." She mentally kicked herself. "That didn't come out right." She sighed. "Okay, I'm going to start over again.  
  
"Today has been hectic. The test run for the inn, I mean, we still have too many staff members, and hello, we're opening in a week so we need to have everything perfect. So, on to my parents. They're separated and they're taking it out on me when all I want to do is get them back together. That's why I put them out in the Honeymoon Suite. Is that not romantic, or what? Well, they didn't appreciate it and they left.  
  
"All right, so on to Jason. God, why won't he leave me alone? Do men not understand the meaning of the word 'no?'" Lorelai stopped to take a deep breath. Luke looked at her as if to tell her to go on. "Ok, well, I told him it was over because he sued my father. What kind of boyfriend sues his girlfriend's father? Ok, he's a Crazy-Stalker Man. I should have noticed. God, his dog was like a statue. What kind of guy has a dog that doesn't know normal tricks? And what about this insomnia crap? God, his guest room is like the most fun room ever! But he doesn't sleep in it because if he does, well, he'll never sleep.  
  
"What was with that proposal, huh? Does he enjoy causing me stress? I think he does, considering that he won't leave me alone!" Lorelai paused to take another breath and noticed that Luke was looking slightly uncomfortable. "Ok, enough about my crazy ex-boyfriend. How about that kiss? Totally took me by surprise, but, you did notice me kiss you back, right? You know, I don't know why, but that didn't feel awkward. Which is awkward, you know?" She looked at Luke's blank expression. "Well, I mean we're good friends, with everyone in town telling me that you're in love with me and I'm in love with you." She sighed. "These people really need to get day jobs. Anyway, we're friends, but then you invite me to your sister's wedding.  
  
"God, Liz looked beautiful, and happy, huh?" She noticed Luke's impatient expression. "Right, well, that dance, super fun. You're a good dancer, by the way, totally didn't know that about you. But, well, you took me home, you asked me out...oh my God! That's tomorrow, I mean tonight, isn't it? Wow, those days went by really fast! Um, anyway, had fun at the wedding. So, on the porch. Wow."  
  
"You really think it was wow?" Luke suddenly asked.  
  
"Whoa. Ok, and I thought you were impersonating Marcel Marceau. But, um, yeah, those kisses could have been put on the 'Wow Factor.'" She nervously smiled at him. "Ok, so, well, I wasn't expecting that kiss from you, and I sure as hell wasn't expecting to kiss you back. It just kind of happened." He nodded. "So why'd you do it?"  
  
He looked at her, and then quickly away. Lorelai noticed a slight pink tinge appear on his cheeks as he shyly cleared his voice. "Uh, um...well, I...uh, I wanted to...well...I wanted you to know that I...uh...had, um...feelings for you."  
  
Lorelai raised her eyebrows slightly when he said that. "Wow...Luke, I-"  
  
"So why did that bother you?" Luke interrupted her.  
  
"Oh, right, well, I don't want to hurt you Luke."  
  
"I don't want to hurt you, either."  
  
"I know. It's just that, well I told Rory that I thought we were dating, and she kind of got upset and told me that I have to be in it for the long run because once we cross that line we can't go back to how it used to be. That got me thinking that I don't want to ruin our friendship, Luke. I mean, we've been friends since Rory was a little girl, well not exactly, what with my teasing you. But, I just don't want to not be able to look you in the eye if this doesn't work out."  
  
Luke sighed. "I know, Lorelai, but I'm not going anywhere, you know that, right?"  
  
She smiled at him. "I know, but how do we know that if this is going really good, but then we get into this huge fight that breaks us up." She sighed. "Luke, you are one of my best friends. One of the stable things in my life. I don't want to lose you." She looked down at her hands.  
  
Luke put his hand on her chin and made her face him. "You won't. Haven't you ever heard that the best relationships start as friends? That means that this could work, Lorelai. Aren't you at least willing to try?"  
  
She sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I am curious to see where this could lead, but I'm also scared that I could lose one of the only people who have known me more than ten years. Luke, you've seen Rory grow up. Hell, you've seen me grow up. I just don't know if I could lose the one person I turn to."  
  
"Lorelai..."  
  
"I'm not saying that I won't do anything at all, I mean, jeez, Luke, we've already gotten pretty far, I'm just not sure that I want to cross that li-" Luke cut her off with a soft kiss on the lips. When he pulled back, Lorelai was staring at him. "That's what I mean, the kissing! I... hey may-"Luke stopped her again with another kiss, this time with a little more feeling into it. Instead of sitting there, Lorelai gave in and returned the kiss. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Luke put his arms around her waist and held her close to him. Lorelai finally pulled back and looked into his eyes. "So what movie did you wanna see?" she asked with a small smile.  
  
He returned the smile and pulled her a little closer. "I don't care, you can choose."  
  
Lorelai smiled wickedly at him and released her hold on him. "Oh you are so going to suffer for that."  
  
He rolled his eyes and let go of her waist. "So, was that all you wanted to vent about?"  
  
Her smile quickly faded as she looked down. "No, that wasn't it."  
  
"Lorelai, what's the matter? This has to be bigger than the other things."  
  
"It's Rory..."  
  
"What about Rory, is she ok? What happened to-"  
  
"She's fine. Well, for the most part." She sighed and looked at him. "I'm sorry, but I just can't tell you, Luke." She lifted up her hand and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'll tell you later, though, if she wants me to. But right now, I have to respect her privacy."  
  
He nodded. "Sure." Lorelai yawned widely. Luke looked at the clock. "Jeez, Lorelai, it's late, you should get some sleep."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks for listening." She stood up. "It really meant a lot to me, especially since I can't talk to Rory."  
  
He stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, if you need me, I'm just down the hall, ok?"  
  
She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Ok, thanks so much." She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "You're cuddly."  
  
He put his arms around her and said, "You're never going to say that again."  
  
She pulled away and smiled. "Ah, you're nothing but a big teddy bear! I'm not afraid of those! You know why? Because they're cute!"  
  
Luke smirked. "Are you saying I'm cute?"  
  
Her smile quickly faded. "No, I was just...uh, well, you know...I..." Luke tried to hide his laughter. "Shut up, you." She then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Goodnight, Teddy."  
  
"You're not calling me that," he said as he walked her to the door.  
  
She grinned. "Oh yes I am!"  
  
He gently pushed her out of his room. "Goodnight, Crazy Lady."  
  
Lorelai silently laughed as she turned around to face him. "Goodnight, Luke." She turned and walked to her room. When she got to her door, she turned to face his room and saw him watching her. She smiled and waved to him as she walked into her room. They both shut their doors at the same time.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: So that was full of fluff! Next time will be the morning where everyone checks out, Lorelai coming home, and maybe her getting ready for the date. But I'll figure it out when I get there! Review please and tell me what you think! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed! I want to make this story more enjoyable for the readers, so let me know how I can fix the problems. Au revoir for now! 


	3. Quarter After Seven

A/N: Wow! I can't stop writing! Thanks to all who reviewed. I was thinking that the last chapter was getting kind of AU so; I'll try my best to make them back on track! Well, on with the story!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
Lorelai woke up reluctantly at six in the morning. She groggily got up and took a shower. She came out of the bathroom wearing a robe and realized that she felt much better than she did last night. During her twenty minute shower, she finally figured out a way to help Rory. She walked over to her overnight bag and pulled out the clothes she was going to be wearing that day. It was a black spaghetti strap dress with a pink striped button down shirt.  
  
She walked downstairs to find that no guests were up yet and hear Sookie pulling out pots and pans to get breakfast ready. As she walked through the waiting room, she heard someone coming down the stairs behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Luke in his usually flannel shirt and backwards baseball cap. Lorelai smiled at him when he walked up to her.  
  
"Oh, hey, Teddy, you scared me."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "You are not calling me that."  
  
Lorelai nodded with a grin. "Oh, yes I am. It suits you."  
  
He gave her a small smile. "You seem better today."  
  
"I am, it must have been my lack of sleep, or maybe it was that amazing shower. The water pressure here is great! I think I'll take one of the showers home with me."  
  
"Or maybe you could get a better shower head to get better pressure."  
  
She pretended to contemplate his decision. "Nah, I think I'll just take Rupert home."  
  
"Ah, jeez, you named the shower in your room?" Luke asked.  
  
"Not just that one, I named all of them. Have I not told you how if you name something and you don't name his or her buddies, their buddies could get really jealous?"  
  
"Yes, I believe you have told me that. But I believe chose not to hear it."  
  
She gasped. "You don't listen to what I say?"  
  
"Not when you're rambling on about who knows what."  
  
Lorelai pouted. "You're mean. What kind of person doesn't listen to their friend?"  
  
"The kind who would rather work than fill their head with useless information."  
  
"So, I give useless information."  
  
"Yes, when you're rambling, did you not get that?"  
  
"Nope, I don't listen to people who argue with my thinking and speaking functions," she said. She then stuck out her tongue.  
  
"You're being really childish, you know that, right?"  
  
Suddenly there was a loud crash in the kitchen. Lorelai drew herself up to her full height and said with a professional manner, "Excuse me, I have to take my chef to the hospital." With that Lorelai left Luke standing in the waiting room.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
The kitchen was covered in stainless steel pots, pans, and cookie sheets with Sookie in the middle of the mess.  
  
"Sookie! What happened?" Lorelai exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine, I was just trying to get one of the cookie sheets from the top shelf and I lost my balance."  
  
Lorelai walked over to help Sookie up. "Why would you put stuff you need so high up?"  
  
Sookie slightly grunted as she was pulled up. "I didn't put the cookie sheets up there, Mark did."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "So do you think he should be one of the people to be fired?"  
  
"Oh, I forgot about that."  
  
"Sookie!"  
  
"I'm sorry, I just love all this help, and they're all so good at their jobs, I can't choose, Lorelai!" Sookie said as she started picking up the mess on the floor.  
  
"Fine, then I'll have to do it."  
  
"No!" She yelled as she dropped the pots she was holding. "Can't we just get rid of some of the maids, instead?"  
  
"Sook, we need those maids, there's enough to everything just right."  
  
"But, I can't fire two of these amazing helpers; they're all, well...amazing!"  
  
Lorelai put her arm around Sookie's shoulders. "I know, but you're going to have to choose. If you won't by tomorrow, I will sweetie, I'm sorry."  
  
Sookie sighed and looked at her feet. "I know, I'll try, honey, I promise."  
  
Lorelai smiled and squeezed Sookie's arm. "Thanks, now let's clean up this mess so you can start breakfast."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
At eight o'clock, the guests started coming downstairs for breakfast. Kirk and Lulu came in arm and arm, Taylor entered with his comment cards and a pen, while Patty and Babette walked into the dining room wearing the yellow robes they were wearing the other night. When Luke noticed them, he looked down at his plate, so they wouldn't notice him, but before Patty and Babette could get to his table, Kirk and Lulu sat down next to him.  
  
"Hey Luke," Kirk said with a smile.  
  
"Hello Kirk," Luke mumbled.  
  
"Look, I just want to thank you for helping me out last night. After I got back to the room, I told Lulu everything, and s-"  
  
"And I'm going to help him out from now on." Lulu smiled at Luke. "We stayed up all night so Kirk didn't have anymore of his night terrors."  
  
Luke nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah, I know."  
  
Kirk blushed. "I guess we were a little loud, huh? Sorry about that, man."  
  
"Who was loud, when?" Lorelai asked walking up next to Luke.  
  
"Lorelai, I would just like to apologize for you having seen my nude bottom," Kirk said standing up.  
  
"Uh, how did you kn-"  
  
"Luke told me, and I'm very sorry if I frightened you in any way."  
  
"Oh, well, it was new, but I don't think I'm scarred," Lorelai said with a smile. "So, Lulu, are you ok?"  
  
Lulu looked at Kirk lovingly. "Yeah, he did knock me off the bed, but I now know why, these night terrors are no funny business."  
  
Lorelai nodded. "Ok. Um, what are night terrors?"  
  
Luke looked up at her. "You don't want to know."  
  
Lorelai took the last empty seat by Luke. "Uh, yes, I think I do, considering that I had to see Kirk's naked butt."  
  
"Night terrors are where you are half asleep and half awake and in this state, everything poses as a threat to you. But not every one ends up naked, it's just something I do in that state," Kirk explained.  
  
"Wow that is some serious stuff."  
  
"You're telling me. After that, I can't get back to sleep so I only get about one hour of sleep every night."  
  
"And you still function every day? Jeez, I'm barely awake after eight hours of sleep," Lorelai said.  
  
"That's because you rely on caffeine too much," Luke said.  
  
Lorelai looked at Luke and noticed the bags under his eyes. "Did you get any sleep last night?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"I'm sorry Luke; sometimes Lulu and I just get carried away..." Kirk stated.  
  
Lorelai let out a laugh. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry." She stood up. "Ok, I'm going to go finish my rounds, enjoy your breakfast." She gave Luke a sympathetic smile and walked over towards Patty and Babette's table.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
Around two Lorelai walked into her house. Everything was eerily quiet. "Hello?" she called. She didn't receive an answer so she set down her things in the foyer and walked over towards Rory's room. It was just how she saw it the last night when Dean left. The thought of Dean in her daughter's bed made her blood boil. She took a deep breath and walked over to the living room.  
  
The living room was just as empty as the kitchen and bedroom. There was only one place left so she walked upstairs. She found the door to her bedroom closed and didn't hear a single sound coming from it. She opened the door and found nothing looking remotely like Rory. "Rory?" she called out. "Where are you?" Lorelai ran downstairs and grabbed the phone. She had almost finished dialing the number when she found a note on the desk. She picked it up and read it.  
  
_Dear Mom,  
  
I'm sorry I'm not home; I just needed to get out of the house. I'm at Lane's if there's anything important you need to tell me. I'll be back later, but I don't want to talk, so please don't ask. I'm thinking about taking Grandma's offer of going to Europe. I'll talk to you about it when I get back. I'm sorry I didn't go back to the inn with you; I just can't stand the fact that I would have seen _HIM_ there the morning after. Lane has to go to work at six, so maybe we can have dinner at Luke's. I'll see you later.  
  
Rory_  
  
Lorelai read the letter a few times more before grabbing her purse and walking out the door.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
The bell above the door jingled, and Luke didn't look up because he knew it was her. He walked into the kitchen without gazing at her. When he came out of the kitchen, there she was sitting at the counter with an empty cup in front of her. She looked up at him and with a small smile said, "This place has lousy service."  
  
"I don't serve coffee anymore, just tea or cocoa."  
  
She lightly gasped. "Mean. You're not supposed to hit a person when they're already down."  
  
Luke poured her coffee cup to the brim. "Why are you down?"  
  
"Rory hates me."  
  
He sighed as he put the coffee pot next to them and put his hands on the counter. "First of all, she doesn't hate you, you're her mother. Second of all, why do you think that?"  
  
"She ran away last night."  
  
"What?!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Sh! She's coming back later today," Lorelai said looking around and then back to him.  
  
"Damn it, Lorelai, tell the whole story first before you give someone a heart attack."  
  
"I need to talk to her really bad. She said she's not coming back till after six, but I remembered about our..." she looked around, "date."  
  
"Well, we didn't set a time."  
  
"I know, and that made me think of when we were going."  
  
"I don't know, seven?"  
  
"Luke, she wants to have dinner here, do you think I'd have time to get ready?"  
  
"Did you want to cancel?" Luke asked.  
  
She noticed the hurt look in his eyes. "Oh, no, Luke, I don't want to cancel. I just want to kick Rory's butt for doing this." She sighed. "Maybe I'll just force her to go home so we can talk. And then make her help me get ready."  
  
"I don't think you should make her go home, it might just make her upset."  
  
"Luke, she screwed up and I'm trying to fix it, she's going to have to listen to me because I am her mother," Lorelai said as she grabbed her purse and pulled out a few dollar bills.  
  
Luke held up his hand. "It's on the house. You're on a mission, so, go."  
  
She smiled at Luke. "I'll see you a quarter after seven."  
  
Her rolled his eyes but gave her a slight smirk. "Goodbye."  
  
"Bye, Teddy." She smiled as she turned around and walked out the door.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: Ok, I guess there's going to be a chapter on Lorelai and Rory. My mind works in weird ways. Anywho, please review. I tried my best to make them seem more in character. How did I do? Ok, well, next is the confrontation of Lorelai and Rory and maybe Lorelai getting ready for the date. But who knows. Au revoir for now! 


	4. I'm the Leader I'll say When We Go

A/N: Ok! Lorelai and Rory confrontation time! Thanks to all who reviewed! Ok, here we go.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
Lorelai got out of her jeep and walked quickly to the front door. She pounded loudly on the door three times. A few seconds later, a frightened looking Lane opened the door. "Oh! Lorelai! Jeez, you scared me for a second." She opened the door wider to let Lorelai in.  
  
Lorelai scanned the living room but did not find Rory anywhere. "Where's Rory?" she asked.  
  
"Uh, she's in the bathroom."  
  
Suddenly they heard a toilet flushing and running water from the sink. A few seconds later Rory opened the door. She gasped. "Mom, what are you doing here?"  
  
Lorelai stomped up to Rory and grabbed her arm. "I'm taking you home."  
  
Rory pulled away from Lorelai's grip. "I told you I'm not leaving until Lane goes to work."  
  
"Well, I told you I'm taking you home, so you're going home," Lorelai said angrily.  
  
Rory backed away from Lorelai. "I don't want to go home right now, I'll go later. We'll have dinner like I said," She responded just as angry.  
  
"Well, then we're having dinner now." She put her arm around Rory's shoulders. "Where's your stuff?"  
  
Rory pushed Lorelai's arm off. "It's only three-thirty; we'd be having lunch instead of dinner."  
  
"Well, we can call it lunner, now let's go," Lorelai said getting impatient.  
  
"Why are you pushing this?"  
  
Lorelai sighed. "I need to talk to you."  
  
"I already told you I don't want to talk," Rory said crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Fine then, I'm going to talk and you're going to listen, so go to the car."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"Damn it Rory, why do you have to be so stubborn?" Lorelai asked stomping her foot.  
  
"Because you taught me."  
  
"Stop that. Stop acting like a child. I'm talking you home right now."  
  
"I don't have to listen to you."  
  
"Excuse me? I am your mother, and as such you are going to listen to me. I don't care if you're a freaking adult, as long as you are alive, you'll still be my kid, and that means that you have follow my rules and orders. Now, say goodbye to Lane," Lorelai grabbed Rory's arm tightly.  
  
"Ow." Rory scowled. "Bye Lane, I'll see you soon."  
  
"Later. You'll see her later. It's going to be awhile before I'm through."  
  
"Uh, Bye Rory, Lorelai," Lane said.  
  
Lorelai pulled Rory and her bag outside and to the jeep.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Rory opened the front door and walked as fast as she could to her room.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Lorelai asked walking just as quickly behind her.  
  
"Away from you. I don't want to hear you judging me again." Lorelai grabbed Rory's arm before she could get to her room. "Ow, stop doing that."  
  
"Hey," Lorelai said lightly. "I'm not going to judge you. I just want to help you."  
  
"I don't need your help," Rory said angrily.  
  
Lorelai closed her eyes. "Rory, please calm down. I want to talk rationally with you." She let go of Rory's arm and opened her eyes. "Now can we please talk?"  
  
Rory took a deep breath and started walking toward the couch with Lorelai at her heels.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"Wow," Lorelai said as Rory told the whole story to her.  
  
"Yeah. I can't believe you tricked me into telling you," Rory said with a hint of a smile.  
  
"Well, sweetie, it's a gift," Lorelai said smiling.  
  
Rory took a deep breath. "So what were you talking about last night about Kirk and the town square?"  
  
"Oh yeah, that. Kirk ran around town naked."  
  
"Ew!" Rory said disgusted.  
  
"Yeah, and I had to see his butt."  
  
"Double ew!"  
  
"Totally."  
  
"So, explain to me why he was doing this."  
  
"Well, apparently Kirk has night terrors."  
  
"And those are..."  
  
"It's like when you're half asleep and half awake and you're all crazy and you think everything's a threat to you, and for Kirk, he usually ends up naked."  
  
"Huh. What about Lulu?" Rory asked.  
  
"Well, she understands and now they have other ways of occupying their time," Lorelai said suggestively.  
  
"Ugh, that's gross, I don't want to hear about that," Rory said while covering her ears.  
  
Lorelai pulled her hands down. "Wait, there's more."  
  
"Ooh, it's like a game show. Is this as interesting as Naked Kirk, or is it less disturbing?"  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Well, I guess we'll start with the fact that someone showed up uninvited."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Jason."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened?" Rory asked.  
  
"He wanted to get back together. Well, he assumed we were never apart. He's turned into Crazy-Stalker Man."  
  
"Well, naturally."  
  
"Yeah, oh, and get this, Emily and Richard didn't stay the night."  
  
"Oh, why not?"  
  
"Apparently they hate being around each other."  
  
"Oh, poor Grandma and Grandpa."  
  
"Hey, it's their faults for getting into this mess."  
  
"Did they tell you why the split up?"  
  
"No, that made me so mad. I got yelled at and didn't get any new juicy information."  
  
"I hope they work it out," Rory said thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Rory looked at Lorelai skeptically. "What? They are my parents, I do care that my parents stay together."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I do!"  
  
"Ok, I believe you."  
  
"No you don't."  
  
"I thought I just said I did."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Ok, new topic of last night."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Luke."  
  
"What about Luke?"  
  
"I think Luke and I are...something."  
  
"Like you weren't before?"  
  
"Ok, well, I went off somewhere, and Luke talked to Jason."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"I know. So, anyway, Jason runs off someplace and Luke confronts me and he saying that he must have been an idiot for courting me-"  
  
"Courting you?"  
  
"Just go with it." Rory shrugged. "So, I asked him why he thought this, and he went on about a boyfriend. Hello, that one's totally gone."  
  
"What happened then?"  
  
Lorelai sighed. "We went out onto the porch and he was talking about how Jason was saying that he and I were right."  
  
"You and Jason or you and Luke?"  
  
"Me and Jason."  
  
"Ok, continue."  
  
"Right, so he was saying how he thought there was a moment after Liz's wedding, and I told him there was."  
  
"Ooh, intrigue. And after that?"  
  
"He leaned in..."  
  
"No!"  
  
"But I pulled back..."  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"I asked him what he was doing.."  
  
"And?"  
  
"He said, 'will you just stand still?'..."  
  
"Aw."  
  
"Then he kissed me," Lorelai said giddily.  
  
"Someone seems happy. It must have been good," Rory said with a smile.  
  
"It was." Lorelai grinned widely.  
  
"What happened after that?"  
  
"We stopped."  
  
"Well nice to know," Rory said sarcastically. "But after the kiss began and ended, what happened?"  
  
"I leaned in..."  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"But he pulled back..."  
  
"Hmm, I think I see a pattern forming."  
  
"He asked me what I was doing..."  
  
"This is getting ridiculous."  
  
"I said, "will you just stand still?'..."  
  
"Of course," Rory said pretending to be bored.  
  
"And then I kissed him."  
  
"Wow! Did not see that one coming."  
  
"Shut up!" Lorelai said excitedly.  
  
"So, did something different happen after or did you guys do the same thing the entire night?"  
  
"Well, after we ended the kiss, he grabbed my waist and leaned in for another one..."  
  
"And you pulled back, am I right?"  
  
"No, Naked Kirk came running downstairs."  
  
"Oh, that must have sucked."  
  
"Yeah, but I found out the Luke's butt is way cuter than Kirk's butt," Lorelai said thoughtfully.  
  
"Ok, too much information."  
  
Lorelai grinned. Suddenly she grabbed Rory's wrist and looked at her watch. "Crap I have to get ready!"  
  
"What?" Rory asked. Lorelai stood up and started climbing the stairs. "Oh yeah, you have that date with Luke. Want some help?" She called.  
  
"I'm good now, but I'll probably need you in a few minutes," Lorelai yelled.  
  
"Is he picking you up or are you meeting him there?"  
  
"He's picking me up."  
  
"Aw, how cute." "Don't make me come down there," Lorelai threatened. "Shoot!"  
  
"I'm coming," Rory said as she stood up and ran up the stairs.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: There's another chapter! Next chapter will most definitely be the date. Review please! I want to make this the best story I've ever written. Au revoir for now! 


	5. Luscious and Delectable

A/N: I am on a roll! Thanks to all who reviewed! And now it's time for another chapter full of Luke and Lorelai! Woo hoo! Here we go!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked Rory as she held out an outfit for Lorelai to wear.  
  
"Yes. It's not dressy, but it's not casual, either."  
  
"So, it's dresual? Sounds dirty," she said with a smile.  
  
"You're sick. Here, put this on, Luke has to see those legs sometime, it better be now," Rory said handing her a red v-neck sweater, and a black mini skirt.  
  
"Rory, this might be too sexy for a first date." Lorelai grabbed the clothes and looked at them.  
  
"Mom, this is not a first date, this is like the 500th date, except you guys haven't kissed until recently."  
  
"I don't know, I don't want to give away the farm."  
  
"Please, he's seen you in the skirt before, and remember how he commented on the shirt? It's in your favor."  
  
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, he did seem please with the shirt. I think he actually looked down my top!"  
  
Rory laughed. "I seriously doubt it, but you let your imagination run wild."  
  
Lorelai walked over to the closet with the clothes in hand. "Jewelry, please."  
  
As Lorelai got dressed, Rory walked over to Lorelai's vanity table and looked through the necklaces and earrings. "So, what time is he supposed to be here?"  
  
"A quarter after seven."  
  
Rory looked at the clock. "It's seven-ten, you better hurry."  
  
Lorelai emerged from the closet in the outfit. "So?" She gave a quick twirl. "What do you think? Should I wear the I'm-too-sexy-for-you heels, or the Too-hot-to-be-a-mom boots?"  
  
"Hmm, I'd go with the heels, shows more leg."  
  
Lorelai scoffed. "What is it with you and my legs?" Rory held out a necklace. "Nah, smaller charm."  
  
Rory resumed looking for a necklace. "Luke looks like a leg guy to me."  
  
She grabbed the other necklace Rory had picked out. "Really? He seems more of an eyes guy." She put on the necklace and grabbed the earrings Rory picked out.  
  
"Well, he seems to have double interests because if you notice, the shirt is making your eyes stand out," Rory said pointing her toward the mirror.  
  
"What? With red? You're kidding me?" Lorelai looked at herself in the mirror. "Do you think this red is too dark?"  
  
"It's not the red that's making your eyes stand out, its your pale skin."  
  
"Hey! That's mean! I can't help it if I haven't tanned in a while."  
  
"Mom, if you read books that take place in the 1400's and on, you'll see the paleness was a turn on, if you were tan, you were poor and not beautiful."  
  
Lorelai looked at Rory. "Really?" Rory handed her a shade of lipstick which she put on. "I'll have to check that out." She pulled on her shirt. "I think this shrunk in the wash.  
  
Rory looked at Lorelai. "It does look a little smaller. Maybe this is my sweater."  
  
"Yeah right. We're the same size, my dear." She tugged on the shirt again. "I think I have another one like this, I'm changing it," Lorelai said as she made her way toward the closet.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"It's too tight, dear," Lorelai called from the closet. Just then the doorbell rang. Lorelai stuck her head out. "Crap he's here!"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll go get the door, but you're not coming down until I come and get you." Rory walked out the door while Lorelai stuck her tongue out at her.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Rory opened the front door and saw a nervous looking Luke wearing a simple black sweater and black slacks. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "Hey Luke," she said kindly. She moved aside to let him in.  
  
"Hi Rory, is your mom almost ready?" Luke asked as she closed the door behind him.  
  
"She should be, I'll go check on her. Good thing you gave her the fifteen minute grace period or you would have been sitting here bored out of your mind." Luke smiled at her. She turned around and ran upstairs.  
  
"Mom!" Rory called once she was in Lorelai's room. She saw Lorelai with one foot out the window and a guilty look on her face. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Sh!" Lorelai said as she pulled herself back inside. "I don't know, I'm really nervous, Rory. I've never been on a date with Luke, this is weird." She started pacing around the room.  
  
"Well, he's nervous, too. Mom, he brought you flowers, and he's dressed all nice. Luke's doing this for you." She touched Lorelai's arm. "Is this a darker red?"  
  
"Yeah." She sighed. "I don't what I'm doing."  
  
"Well, I don't know what you're doing right now, but I know that you are going to be going downstairs, and you are going to greet Luke with a smile on your face. You're going to take those flowers and put them in the kitchen, I'll take care of them when you leave. After that, you're going to go on your date with Luke, and you're going to have fun. Don't make it awkward. Now, go," Rory said giving her a shove toward the door.  
  
"I'm going, I'm going. No pushing, please," Lorelai said as she made her way down the stairs.  
  
She saw Luke pacing back and forth behind the couch. She gave him a nervous smile when he saw her. He smiled back. They walked toward each other still wearing their awkward smiles. Lorelai glanced down at the flowers, which made him clear his throat and hold out the bouquet. "Here, uh...these are for you."  
  
Lorelai smiled as she took them. "Thanks." She walked over to the kitchen and put them on the table. When she turned around Luke was in the doorway. "So...ready to go?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, sure."  
  
They walked to the foyer and as Lorelai was grabbing her coat and putting it on she yelled, "Rory, we're going. I'll see you later."  
  
They heard a voice reply, "Ok, I won't wait up."  
  
Lorelai slightly blushed as she grabbed her purse and walked to the door which Luke was holding open for her. "Uh, thanks," she said.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
When the got in Luke's truck, it was silent. All they heard was the noise of the engine and other cars passing by them. Luke cleared his throat a few times, as though about to say something, but thinking against it. Finally Lorelai decided to kill the silence and talk.  
  
"You look good," Lorelai suddenly said. "I didn't know you knew how to dress yourself."  
  
Luke smirked. "Thanks, you look good too. And I'm not incapable of wearing clothes. If you remember at the test run I was wearing something nice."  
  
"Yeah, surprisingly you did look like an investor and not a reject from Green Acres," she said with a smile.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you approved. So did you decide on a movie?"  
  
Lorelai grinned evilly. "Of course."  
  
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Luke asked with a groan.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"And your choice of torture is..."  
  
"Dodgeball!"  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"A movie."  
  
"Thanks, Captain Obvious, but what is it about?"  
  
"A group of outcasts in a poor gym try to win money to get their gym back by playing dodgeball and the gym trying to buy them takes them on in the tournament."  
  
"Ah, jeez, Lorelai. We already know who wins."  
  
"Well, duh, but it's fun to see what's in the middle," Lorelai said as they pulled up to the theatre.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai and Luke walked out of the theatre. Luke had a look of confusion on his, but Lorelai was wearing a huge grin.  
  
"You know, I didn't expect that ending. But the pirate guy did look better without that hair," Lorelai said munching on popcorn.  
  
"Yeah, but when he realized that he really wasn't a pirate, his friends convinced him again. That was just stupid."  
  
"What about Ben Stiller? I love when he plays creepy bad guys. He grosses me out, but also makes me laugh."  
  
"Do you even remember the characters' names?"  
  
Lorelai scoffed. "Yeah right. I've never remembered characters' names unless I see the movie more than twice. Which after then if perfect mocking material." Lorelai looked at Luke who was looking straight ahead. "I know what you're thinking."  
  
Luke looked at her. "What?"  
  
"You're thinking about Christine Taylor."  
  
"No I'm not."  
  
Lorelai smiled. "Yes you are. There's nothing to be ashamed of. If her character was real, I wouldn't mind you going for her. But mind you she might go f-"  
  
"Lorelai. Please don't finish that sentence," Luke said holding up his hand.  
  
She smiled. "You're embarrassed."  
  
"You're disgusting."  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
"Nothing new there."  
  
"Wanna get some ice cream?"  
  
"I'd rather not."  
  
"You're just as mean as when we're not on a date," Lorelai said pouting.  
  
Luke stopped and Lorelai stopped next to him. "Where did you want to go?"  
  
Lorelai grinned and clapped her hands as she jumped in the air. "Yay!"  
  
"Stop that," he said putting his hands on her shoulders.  
  
Lorelai stopped and looked at Luke. "You know, this is fun," she said seriously.  
  
Luke didn't move his hands. "Yeah."  
  
He leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled back she kept her eyes closed, smiled and said, "Baskin Robbins."  
  
"What?"  
  
She opened her eyes. "That's where I want to go for ice cream."  
  
"Oh. Ok." They started walking to his truck. Lorelai slipped her hand into Luke's and smiled at how comfortable it felt.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Luke watched Lorelai as she was telling him all about the work that needed to be done at the inn and how she ate her ice cream cone. They were still holding hands and were walking through the park that was close to the ice cream shop.  
  
"...and we still don't have the money in the budget for Sookie's helpers, but she can't choose. Ugh, this is so frustrating," Lorelai said using her hand holding the cone to speak.  
  
"Lorelai, be careful or you're going to lose your ice cream," Luke said.  
  
She looked down at the hand she wasn't holding. "You've barely touched yours. Do you not like Vanilla?"  
  
He shrugged. "It tastes weird."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Of course. I told you not to get the regular flavor."  
  
"Well I told you I don't like chocolate that much."  
  
"You're crazy," Lorelai said as she licked her ice cream. "Yum, I love Mint Chocolate Chip." She held it out to him. "Do you want to try it?" Luke looked at the cone skeptically. "Oh come on, I don't have cooties." Luke tasted the ice cream. "Well?"  
  
He shrugged. "It's not bad."  
  
"Not bad? Please, it's yummy."  
  
"Yummy."  
  
"Yes, yummy. Delicious, delectable, tasty, scrumptious, luscious, a-"Luke cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. He pulled away from her and looked at his feet.  
  
"You, uh, you had some ice cream on your lip," he said nervously. Lorelai chuckled which made Luke look up. "What?"  
  
"You're a romantic," she said nudging him with her shoulder.  
  
"I am not," he said while looking back down at his feet.  
  
"Yes you are." She smiled when she saw him fidgeting. "Luke, it's ok. I like it."  
  
He looked up at her. "I'm not a romantic."  
  
"Well, just make me think you are," she said as she leaned in and kissed him. "You know," she said as she pulled away, "this isn't weird. Which is weird because this is new."  
  
Luke nodded as he threw away his cone. "Yeah, but I'm glad we don't have to get used to it."  
  
"Why'd you throw that away? I would have eaten it."  
  
"Lorelai."  
  
"I would!"  
  
"I know you would. But just let it go. I'll buy you two cones next time."  
  
"Next time?" she asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Uh, well, I mean if you want to..." Luke said shyly.  
  
Lorelai smiled. "Luke, relax. I want to."  
  
He smiled at her. "Good."  
  
"You've been smiling a lot lately, does this have to do with the fact that we're dating?"  
  
He shrugged and squeezed her hand lightly. "Maybe."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: And there was the date! I will probably end it, but maybe I'll just move on to the next day...I'll think about as I post this. Let me know what you think by reviewing. Au revoir for now! 


	6. You are the Weakest Link

A/N: Hey everybody! I was thinking of just skipping ahead, but I have to have the morning after the date. That makes it fun! Thanks to all who reviewed! Enjoy!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
Lorelai groggily walked downstairs in her work clothes. She saw Rory sitting at the table in the kitchen with a huge grin on her face. "Why are you so cheery?" Lorelai asked as she grabbed a cup of coffee.  
  
"You came in at like midnight," Rory said as she sipped her coffee.  
  
Lorelai shrugged. "We talked."  
  
"You talk almost every day."  
  
"This was different, I really got to talk to him."  
  
"By really talking, you mean you talked and he listened, right?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head. "Luke said some things."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, I was complaining of how I'll never get the inn perfect, and he was reassuring me that it already is perfect and he loved it."  
  
"Luke said the word 'love?'"  
  
"No, he said he enjoyed it."  
  
"You know you shouldn't twist someone's words around."  
  
"I haven't had my daily quota of coffee yet, I'll twist my own words."  
  
"So, tell me all about the date," Rory said excitedly.  
  
"Well, I haven't actually finished telling you about the other night."  
  
"Ooh, there's more?"  
  
"And you doubted there was?"  
  
"You're right, never underestimate Lorelai Gilmore."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner as the morning crowed slowly died down. They sat at a table and waited for Luke to come by.  
  
"Hey," he said as he poured their cups with coffee.  
  
"Hey Teddy," Rory said with a smile.  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai. "You told her?"  
  
Lorelai smiled as she lifted up her cup. "Of course, Teddy, darling."  
  
"I don't want either of you calling me that anymore," he said as he walked away.  
  
"But Teddy, I need your assistance," Lorelai called with a fake country accent.  
  
"Teddy?" Patty asked them from the table next to theirs'.  
  
Lorelai looked at her. "Yeah, Luke made a comment about teddy bears and now we're torturing him. It's enough we're doing it, please don't tell anyone else, I don't want to die before the inn opening."  
  
Patty smiled. "Don't worry, dear, your secret's safe with me." She watched Luke bring food out to someone. "You know, he looks like he could be as cuddly as a teddy bear."  
  
Lorelai nearly spit out her coffee. "What?" she asked wiping her mouth with her hand.  
  
"Well, he does."  
  
Lorelai looked at Luke. She caught his eye and gave him a slight smile. "Yeah, I guess he could be."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai walked into the inn with a huge grin on her face. "Good morning, Michel."  
  
"You think the morning is good? I have to come in to work when my poor babies are sick," Michel said with a scowl.  
  
"Ah, cheer up. It's going to be a really good day." She smiled widely.  
  
"Your smiling annoys me."  
  
"Good to know. Now, tell everyone that we're going to have a meeting in my office in five minutes."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"Because I'll convince Sookie to make you an egg white omelet," Lorelai said over her shoulder as she made her way to her office.  
  
Once she got in the office, she sat down behind her desk and picked up the phone. She dialed a number and heard it ring twice before someone picked up.  
  
"Luke's," Luke said irritably.  
  
"Someone's grouchy," Lorelai said.  
  
"Taylor."  
  
"Obviously. What did he try to make you do this time?"  
  
"He wants me hang up signs for the dance marathon coming up."  
  
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Isn't that in August, though?"  
  
"September, but he wants the whole town to turn up."  
  
"That makes the dance floor even more crowded," Lorelai said as she straightened some papers on her desk.  
  
"Tell me about it. I keep refusing to put up any stupid signs. He knows I won't go."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"No I'm not. You can't make me."  
  
"You sound like a baby. See, you made the mistake of showing me you could dance, and now you have to suffer for it."  
  
"I already suffered last night."  
  
"Dirty," Lorelai said with a smile.  
  
"Why do I always set myself up?"  
  
"You like it."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"Fine. Look, I didn't call to bicker. I wanted to thank you for last night. I had a great time."  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
"So, what did you want to do next time?"  
  
"I don't know," Luke said. "I guess we could do the same thing."  
  
"Except you'd be picking out the movie?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"You know, I heard 'King Arthur' was supposed to start soon. Sounds like a macho movie to me."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"How's Wednesday?"  
  
"I'm closing. How about Tuesday?"  
  
"That's tomorrow."  
  
"Really, I had no idea," Luke said sarcastically.  
  
"'King Arthur' isn't supposed to start until Wednesday."  
  
"Then we'll see another movie."  
  
"So you want to see 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?'"  
  
"You know, I could probably ask Lane to switch nights."  
  
Lorelai smiled. "I thought so." There was a knock on her door. "Oh, I have to go, staff meeting. I'll talk to you later. Bye, Teddy."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Lorelai hung up the phone and said, "Come on in." The door opened and Sookie entered followed by all her helpers. She sat on one of the chairs in front of Lorelai's desk, her apprentices stood behind her. Michel followed them and sat in the other vacant chair. Tom then entered with his entire construction crew. Lorelai saw Dean enter and imagined ten different deaths for him. Lorelai then surveyed the room with everyone in it and said to Michel, "Couldn't the maids or groundskeepers come?"  
  
"I brought in the people we have issues with," Michel said as he shifted in his seat.  
  
Lorelai sighed and looked at the crowd. "Ok, let's get started. We have only four more days to get everything ready. Sookie, have you decided yet?" Sookie shook her head sadly. "All right, I'll just have to take care of it." She looked at the kitchen staff. "Guys, there's seven of you, and we only have enough money for five. Either two of you can quit or I can fire two of you. That's your choice now who wants to be the better person and quit. We can recommend you to other restaurants or inns. So, who's first?"  
  
"Um, Ms. Gilmore?" a small girl in the middle of the line said while raising her hand.  
  
"Yes, Cassie?"  
  
"Well, I just have to say, I really love it here, and I would love to stay with you guys. See, cooking for me is more of a hobby than a job, and if I was able to stay here, I'd work for free."  
  
"Oh, no Cassie, I can't do that to you."  
  
"No, really, Ms. Gilmore, I find this more of a fun thing than a requirement. I already have a job. I was just waiting to see which place I liked better. Well, I love it here, so I don't need the money."  
  
Lorelai stared at Cassie. "I should really be insulted that you're working for someone else. But, surprisingly I'm not. I feel guilty that I wouldn't be paying you."  
  
"Oh don't be! It's like a dream come true for me to work with one of the greatest chefs on the East Coast." Sookie blushed. "I'm being paid from the excitement of the dishes Sookie creates! It's great!"  
  
Lorelai smiled. "I knew I liked you, kid. You really know how to win your way in."  
  
"I can stay?"  
  
"You can stay. But I'll try to make something for you later on."  
  
"Oh, there's no need," Cassis said waving her hand.  
  
"Ok. Well, one down, one to go." Lorelai stood up to look at the rest of the chefs. She started pacing in front of them. "So, no one's speaking up. Ok, I wish I didn't have to this but," she said raising her hand and pointed at the first person. "Ini, mini, miney, mo, catch a tiger by his toe, if he hollers let him go, ini, mini, miney, mo. My mom told me to pick the very best one and you are it!" Lorelai pointed at each of the people until she landed on the boy standing right in front of her. "Jake."  
  
Jake looked down at his feet. "So I'm out?"  
  
Lorelai said sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Jake. You really are good." Lorelai suddenly got an idea. "Hey, weren't you the one who likes to experiment with different kinds of foods?"  
  
"Yeah," Jake said looking up.  
  
"Hmm, so if I got you a job anywhere, you would take it?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
Lorelai walked over to her desk and picked up the phone as she was dialing the number she said, "You live in Hartford, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
The person on the other line answered the phone. "Hey! What would you say if I said I have a new cook for you?....I'm talking about you hiring a new kid who can cook anything. His name is Jake, he's twenty, and he has really good manners." Lorelai looked over at Jake and gave him a smile. "Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver. You rock, Teddy," Lorelai said. She then hung up the phone.  
  
"Who's Teddy?" Sookie asked.  
  
"Huh? Oh, it's my new nickname for Luke." She looked at Jake. "In a few minutes, I'm going to send you over to Luke's and he's gonna check out your cooking skills, ok?"  
  
"Luke's Diner?"  
  
"The one and only."  
  
"All right! I love using the grill."  
  
Lorelai smiled. "Well, then, you better make sure you're hired." Lorelai took at deep breath. "Ok, now that the staff is settled, Tom, what's new with you?"  
  
"You didn't pay all the money for last week's installment," Tom said.  
  
"I know, we've been a little low."  
  
"There's something you want me to do, huh?"  
  
"Fit the budget. That's all I can give you."  
  
"Fine, I'll have to fire three of my guys, though."  
  
"Can you get rid of the three guys before I send them off?"  
  
"No, they all work too hard."  
  
Lorelai sighed and went over to the construction workers. "I'll do it then." She went to stand in front of one of the guys. "What's your name?"  
  
"Hank," the guy said shyly.  
  
"Hank," Lorelai said with a smile. "Weren't you the on that knocked a whole in one of the bedroom walls?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am, but I fixed it right away."  
  
"Yes you did, but it was still pretty flimsy so I had to get someone else up there to refix your mistake."  
  
"I'm sorry; I'm not very good with walls."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "I know; you're more of a floor guy."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm still going to have to fire you."  
  
Hank looked down at his feet. "I don't blame you, ma'am."  
  
She smiled at him and went down to stand in front of another worker. "Sal, right?"  
  
"Sam."  
  
"Sorry. You dropped that lumber on Michel's foot."  
  
"I apologized to him. He was just getting in the way, though."  
  
"Yes, he was. But I didn't happen to see what went down, so I'm sorry to say this, but you have to go."  
  
Sam looked at his feet. "Sure."  
  
Lorelai walked down the rest of the line and stood in front of Dean. "Dean."  
  
"Lorelai," Dean said without hesitation. He looked unafraid, but she noticed that his eyes gave away his fear.  
  
She sighed wishing she had a good reason to fire him. "Dean, I just wanted to tell you that you did a great job on the banister, but it does need more sanding down."  
  
She started to walk away when Dean said, "That's it? You're not going to fire me?"  
  
"Why would I do that? You're one of the safest workers here."  
  
"Well I just thought that..."  
  
"Dean, I'm a professional. I don't let personal matters get involved. But if you do screw up, you're gone."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Lorelai noticed the guy next to Dean. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Nick."  
  
"I've never seen you before."  
  
"Well then you don't look."  
  
"I've seen everyone else here except you."  
  
"I must've been out of the room when you went in," he said sarcastically.  
  
"I don't really like your attitude."  
  
"I don't really like your inn."  
  
Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Get out."  
  
"Girly, I'm older than you; I don't have to listen to you."  
  
"Excuse me? You work for me."  
  
"I work for Tom."  
  
"Then Tom will fire you." Lorelai walked back to her desk and sat down. "Ok, all of those who were dismissed, I wish you the best of luck. Everyone else still working here, get to work." Everyone left Lorelai's office so she could calm down. Suddenly there was a knock on her door. "Come in," Lorelai said while massaging her temples. The door opened and in came...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: I decided to have a staff meeting because I'm probably not going to have a whole lot going on with the Dragonfly. Please tell me what you think by reviewing. Au revoir for now! 


	7. Confrontations of the 1st Kind

A/N: I haven't written for a few days, sorry. I was GETTING MY PERMIT!! Woo hoo! Ok, so, thanks to everyone who reviewed. Now it's time to see who came in Lorelai's office!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
"You don't look so good," a man's voice said.  
  
Lorelai eyes flew open and she stared at him. "Oh God."  
  
"So, I gave you time to think. What's your answer?"  
  
"No, Jason. No, I will not marry you. I'm with someone else, now."  
  
"But we've been together longer. I mean, I give you two weeks to breathe and you run off with someone else. He's just a rebound, Lorelai. You still want me."  
  
"You've got everything turned around. I _broke up_ with you two weeks ago. Luke's not a rebound, and we've known each other for like 16 years. I don't want you, I realized that when I wanted to be free from you," Lorelai said calmly.  
  
Jason sat down where Michel was sitting a few minutes ago. "You're not thinking clearly. Lorelai, what do I have to do to make you see that we're meant to be?"  
  
"Are you trying to be funny?" Jason looked confused. "You rhymed. I assumed you wanted to do that." He shook his head. "Ok, well, you can't do anything because I don't want to be with you. Now will you please leave?" Lorelai's phone started to ring.  
  
Jason stood up. "This isn't over, Lorelai. I'll make you realize that you want to be with me, one way or another." He walked out of her office.  
  
Lorelai took a deep breath then answered the phone. "Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking."  
  
"Mom."  
  
"Hey, you. What's up, kiddo?" Lorelai calmed down.  
  
"I've been thinking..."  
  
"Always a good thing."  
  
"I saw Dean earlier, and I just don't want to have that weirdness between us, you know?"  
  
"I know, sweetie. So did you talk to him?"  
  
"No." Rory sighed audibly. "I ran away when he saw me."  
  
"Not exactly the way it should have been, Rory."  
  
"I know, and I feel bad. I mean, what if he wanted to tell me that he's leaving Lindsey for me? What if he wants me, Mom?"  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Rory, I thought you had decided that he should be with his wife."  
  
"I do...Well, I don't know! I'm freaking out here because I can't decide. Mom, what am I going to do?"  
  
"Ror, calm down. You need to think about what to say if Dean chooses you, but you also need to consider what to say if Dean chooses Lindsey."  
  
"Yeah. Mom, I want him to choose me."  
  
"I know you do, but you can't always get what you want."  
  
"Ok, Mick, I'll think about it and get back to you."  
  
"Ok. Hey sweets?"  
  
"Yeah?" Rory asked.  
  
"I think you should talk to Lane about this. Maybe she can help you."  
  
"Sure. Thanks Mom."  
  
"Bye, babe."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Lorelai hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She then stood up and made her way out the door.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai walked around the waiting room and dining room, but didn't find who she was looking for. She glanced inside the kitchen, but quickly moved on. She walked over to the stairs and was about to climb them when she heard a scratching sound. She looked up and saw Dean sitting on top of the stairs sanding the banister. "Dean," Lorelai called out.  
  
He looked up from his work and saw Lorelai at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, Lorelai."  
  
She walked up the stairs and towered over him. "I need to talk to you."  
  
"Ok." She sat down next to him.  
  
"Have you told Lindsey?"  
  
Dean closed his eyes and groaned. "I knew you were going to ask me that sometime."  
  
"Well, I am. What's your answer?"  
  
"No, but I'm going to."  
  
"Dean. You have to. You can't put it off anymore."  
  
"I know," he said while looking down. "I just don't want to hurt her."  
  
"Are you saying that you're going to leave Lindsey?"  
  
Dean quickly looked up at her. "No! Uh, I mean...I don't know, Lorelai."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "You need to make up your mind because your situation is all Rory can think about. She's going to go crazy because of you."  
  
"I know. I love her so much, you know?"  
  
"I know. But if you loved her so much, why did you do it?"  
  
"I wasn't thinking, all I knew was that I wanted to be with her."  
  
"But you can't."  
  
"I know that!" he yelled. He winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Tell her. But don't bring Rory into this until you're ready to explain everything, you got that?"  
  
Dean nodded. "Yeah." Lorelai started to get up. "Hey, Lorelai?"  
  
She looked at him. "Yeah?"  
  
"I'm sorry that you hate me."  
  
Lorelai sat down again. "I don't hate you. I'm just furious with you. You took something from my little girl that she can never have back."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And for that I want to kill you."  
  
"I know."  
  
She smiled. "But you are still the only guy that has made her happy, so I'm hoping you don't do that again."  
  
"I won't, Lorelai, I promise."  
  
"I'm going to take your word for it. Stupid, I know, but, I have to." She stood up and ran her hand along the part of the banister he had been working on. "Much better. Now get to work." Lorelai walked down the stairs with a satisfied smile on her face.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Luke was being uncharacteristically nice to almost everyone who came into his diner. He was smiling a lot more, and was definitely more lenient about serving artery-clogging food. He even gave Caesar and Lane raises. He was setting food on Kirk's table when a boy about twenty with shoulder-length, sandy-blond hair came into the diner. The boy walked up to him. "You're Luke, right?"  
  
"You must be Jake," Luke said extending his hand. Jake shook his hand and nodded. "Ok, let me see what you can do." He led Jake into the kitchen where Caesar was dumping frozen fries into the deep-fryer. "Ok, I'm going to get you an order, and Caesar here is going to show you how to make it, all right?"  
  
"Sure, no problem," Jake said with a confident smile. There was a distant bell ringing and Luke nodded at him before going to take the new customer's order.  
  
When Luke went out, he saw Rory sitting at the counter. "Hey Rory, want some coffee?" Rory silently nodded. After Luke poured her cup full he asked, "Are you all right, you seem down."  
  
"I was wondering if Lane was here."  
  
"She's on her break. She'll be back in a few minutes; did you want something to eat?"  
  
Rory shrugged. "I guess some fries."  
  
"Ok." Luke walked into the kitchen. A few minutes later he came back out with a steaming plate of cheese fries.  
  
"Luke, I just order regular fries," Rory said as he set the plate in front of her.  
  
"I know but you mother sent someone she fired down here, and I'm testing his skills." She popped a fry in her mouth. "Is it too hot or cheesy?"  
  
"No, it's good. It's a little hot, but it's still really good. It tastes a little different, like it has different seasonings in it."  
  
"Seasonings?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, spices that make the food taste different and usually better?"  
  
"Right. So, do you think I should keep him or test to see how he does with a burger?"  
  
"Hmm, I'll take a cheeseburger with extra onions, please."  
  
Luke smiled. "Thanks."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
When Luke went back into the kitchen, Lane walked into the diner. Rory ran over to her and hugged her tightly.  
  
"Hey, Rory," Lane said while hugging her back. "What's wrong?" Rory released her and grabbed her hand. She pulled her out of the diner and over toward the gazebo. "Rory," Lane said while trying to keep up with Rory's fast pace, "I need to get back to work."  
  
Rory stopped walking and turned to look at Lane. "Luke will understand. I need to talk to you."  
  
"Is this about Lorelai coming to get you yesterday?"  
  
"Kind of; It's about what happened the night before she came over."  
  
"The mysterious night that you came to stay over? The night you didn't want to talk about?"  
  
"The one and only," Rory said while sitting on a bench.  
  
"What happened? Did something happen at the inn?"  
  
"No, well, it did start there. I almost kissed Dean in the inn."  
  
"Whoa. Wait, you said start. What happened?" Lane asked while sitting down next to Rory.  
  
"Well, Mom wanted me to get CDs for the guests to listen to. While I was there Dean came over."  
  
"Did you kiss him then?"  
  
"More than that."  
  
"You made out?" Rory gave her a look that said "Not that; _that_."  
  
"Oh my God, you didn't!" Lane said with a look of disbelief.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Oh my God, you did!" Lane squealed with delight. "I want to hear all the details when, where, and h-"Lane stopped abruptly. "Wait, he's married! Rory, you know this! Why did you two have se–"  
  
"Sh!" Rory said covering Lane's mouth and looking around. "No one needs to know about this." Lane mumbled something to her. "What? Oh." Rory removed her hand from Lane's mouth.  
  
"What didn't you tell me this sooner?"  
  
Rory shrugged. "I had just argued about it with my mom and I wasn't feeling up to discussing the matter again."  
  
Lane nodded. "I understand. So, what's going to happen now?"  
  
"Well, I don't know about Dean, but I can't see him when I know he can't be with me."  
  
"I know," Lane said while rubbing Rory's arm softly.  
  
"But I know that I'm going to Europe with my grandmother."  
  
Lane stopped rubbing Rory's arm. "What?"  
  
Rory smiled slightly. "I'm leaving for Europe tomorrow night."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: And that's where I'm going to leave it. I had more Rory in it. I'm going to have her first discussion with Dean in the next chapter, but first I'm going to have to end Lane's and Rory's conversation. I put more Jason in there like people wanted, and as he said, he'll be back! So no worries. Please review! Au revoir for now! 


	8. Confrontations of the 2nd Kind

A/N: Hallo everyone! I read some spoilers and now I feel inspired! All right, thanks to the reviewers. Let's go!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
Lane stared open-mouthed at Rory for a long time, finally Rory broke the silence. "Are you going to say anything?"  
  
"Um," Lane said. "I-I...Why are you going?"  
  
"Did you not just hear my problem?"  
  
"You said you...you know, with Dean; but I still don't see why you have to go."  
  
Rory stood up from the bench. "I can't keep seeing him around here, especially if he chooses Lindsey over me, and it's too weird."  
  
"Well, Rory, you have to talk to him to see how he feels. By the way, how do you feel?"  
  
Rory looked at Lane. "What do you mean how do I feel?"  
  
Lane shrugged. "Do you love him?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you love him? You're trying to avoid him which is making me wonder if it was just a random thing. An old flame."  
  
"Lane, he was my first boyfriend! My first kiss, my first love and my first heartbreak and now..."  
  
"Your first time," Lane said sadly. "Is that why you did it in the first place? Because you wanted him to be your first for everything?"  
  
"No! I just...I don't know, Lane." Rory sat back down with a sigh. "I'm confused. I mean, it was comfortable."  
  
"Of course it was comfortable. It was Dean. He's familiar, and you love the fact that he loves you. But do you love him, Rory?" Lane said sternly.  
  
Rory stared at her feet and thought about Lane's question. _Do I love Dean?_ She asked herself. _Am I just fooling myself and pretending that I love him? What would I do if he chose me over Lindsey? I'd probably tell him to work it out. But if he chose Lindsey, I'd most likely break down and never want to see him again._ Rory gasped slightly. _I don't love Dean. I've just been using him. Oh my God, I'm a terrible person!_ Rory quickly stood up.  
  
"Rory?"  
  
"I have to go, Lane. I have to make sure I don't hurt Dean anymore," Rory called as she ran away.  
  
Lane watched her go. She stood up with a sigh and softly said, "This sucks."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai was driving to Luke's for lunch when she saw someone run across the street in front of her. She slammed on her brakes and looked at the girl she almost hit. She gasped and opened the door quickly. "Rory! Are you ok?" She said while running over to her daughter. Rory had tears running down her face and she was out of breath. When Lorelai walked up to her, she collapsed in her arms.  
  
"Mom! I'm the worst person in the world," Rory said with her head in Lorelai's chest.  
  
"What are you talking about? Rory, honey, what's wrong?" She ran her hand over Rory's hair until she calmed down.  
  
Rory looked up at her mother with shining eyes. "I don't love Dean, Mom. I can't believe it. I want to so bad, but I can't." New tears spilled over her face as Lorelai pulled her back into her embrace.  
  
"Oh, sweets, it's ok. Just calm down. All you have to do is tell him."  
  
Rory quickly pulled away from Lorelai and looked at her. "I can't do that! I can't hurt him again! All he's ever done is love me and I end up hurting him! Why can't I just love him, Mom? Why doesn't he learn that I'm incapable of loving him?"  
  
"Rory! Don't you think for one second of blaming yourself. It's not your fault you don't love him. You can't choose who you fall for. You should know this, you fell for Jess."  
  
"Mom, this isn't about Jess. This is about that fact that I can't keep hurting Dean when all he wants to do is love me!"  
  
"I know," Lorelai said while petting Rory's hair. "Look, you got that from me. You want to love someone but you can't. Hello, does Max ring any bells?"  
  
Rory looked down at her feet. "You did want to love him."  
  
"Yeah, I was going to marry him. God, Ror, I thought that my life was set. But I realized that you can't make yourself fall in love. So, you have to tell Dean, that you want to love, with all your heart, but your heart won't let you. Ok?"  
  
"Is that what you told Max?" Rory said while wiping her wet cheeks.  
  
"No, but something close to that." Lorelai hugged Rory. "Sweetie, I know it's hard, but you're not incapable of finding love, you're only nineteen. I still haven't found my true love."  
  
"What are you talking about? Of course you have, it just took you tons of years to act on it," Rory said with a small smile.  
  
"Rory Leigh!" Lorelai said while lightly pushing Rory away. "I have only gone one official date with Luke. I don't know if he's the love of my life."  
  
"Trust me, Mom. He is."  
  
Lorelai smiled. "You don't know that, but to be honest, there is definitely something there." She looked at Rory. "Now, you go let Dean down easy. He'll understand, sweets."  
  
Rory hugged her mom once more. "I love you, Mom."  
  
"I love you, too, Rory."  
  
They released their hold on each other and continued on their own journey.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai walked a nearly empty Luke's. "What's going on here? I thought it was the lunch rush?" she asked sitting down at the counter.  
  
Luke placed a coffee mug in front of her. "That's over already. Why is there a big water spot on your shirt?"  
  
Lorelai looked down and looked at the spot where Rory released her anguish. She looked up at him. "Rory was having trouble."  
  
"Ok and that spot would be..."  
  
"Tears."  
  
"Right," Luke said with a nod.  
  
"So, how's Jake working for you?"  
  
"He's a machine. We went through the rush really quickly. Barely any back up or waiting around."  
  
Lorelai grinned. "Good, now you have to repay me for sending him your way."  
  
"I'm not sure I like what you're implying."  
  
Lorelai quickly looked around the diner for any familiar faces but didn't see any. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the storage room. Once they got inside Luke closed and locked the door. When he turned around to face Lorelai she had a huge grin on her face. "You know, I think I'm going to like keeping this a secret," she said as she walked toward him.  
  
"You and me both," Luke said as he grabbed her waist and caught her lips with his. The kiss started out soft, but became more passionate. Luke's hat had fallen off and Lorelai was running one of her hands through his hair. Luke's hands were roaming over Lorelai's back. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and they quickly broke apart. Luke grabbed his hat off of the floor and tried to catch his breath before opening the door. Lorelai was trying to cool down so her face didn't look so flushed. He opened the door and saw Caesar looking at him. "What do you want, Caesar?"  
  
"Someone's looking for you," Caesar simply said before walking back to the front of the diner.  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai with a small smile before walking out to the diner. Lorelai heard a woman scream with delight in the front. Lorelai fixed her hair and straightened her clothes before walking out to the front. As she was walking out, she heard a woman's voice talk excitedly about something. Then she heard Luke laugh. _What is going on?_ Lorelai asked herself. When she got to the front, she saw a woman with long blond hair talking with Luke. All she saw was her back because the mysterious woman wasn't facing Lorelai.  
  
Luke looked up and saw Lorelai come out of the store room. "Hey, Meg, I want you to meet Lorelai," he said turning his friend around.  
  
Meg grinned widely when she saw Lorelai. "Hi Lorelai! Oh my gosh, aren't you pretty?" Meg said with a slight Southern accent.  
  
Lorelai shook Meg's outstretched hand. "Hi, Meg," Lorelai said with a smile.  
  
"So, how long have you known Luke?" Meg asked.  
  
"Uh, well, I think it's been about sixteen years."  
  
Meg gasped. "Me too!"  
  
"You're kidding," Lorelai said with a smile that didn't go up to her eyes.  
  
"Yep, well, I knew him when Lizzie got herself knocked up! Do you know Liz?"  
  
Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, I actually went to her wedding."  
  
"Do you think that's going to last very long?" Meg asked.  
  
Lorelai shrugged. "I hope so. She seems very happy with TJ."  
  
"That's his name? Jesus, I swear she ruined her life when she married Jimmy."  
  
"Well, it may not have worked out with Jimmy, but I think it's going to work out with TJ. But, I tell you she didn't do her best with Jess."  
  
"Who's Jess?"  
  
"Her son."  
  
"You know about him?"  
  
"Yeah, he moved here and he dated my daughter for awhile."  
  
Meg laughed. "That's impossible! Her kid has to be about twenty, now."  
  
"Well, so is mine."  
  
Meg looked Lorelai up and down. "You look good for you age."  
  
"No, I had Rory when I was sixteen."  
  
Meg gasped. "You didn't terminate the pregnancy?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head getting slightly angry. "No, I love my daughter very much."  
  
"Do you know who the father is?"  
  
"Excuse me? Do you think that I'm the kind of girl to jump in bed with random guys? I know her father!"  
  
"So, you're married to him?" Meg asked.  
  
"No, he's married to someone else."  
  
"But you were married to him, right?"  
  
"No. I never married him. I left him when Rory was one. She and I moved here."  
  
"You raised a kid on your own?"  
  
"What are you getting at?" Lorelai asked angrily. The bell on the door rang.  
  
"Girls aren't supposed to have babies so young."  
  
"Well, it happens every day, so go with it."  
  
"Does your kid even know her father?"  
  
"Of course she knows who I am," a voice said.  
  
Lorelai, Meg, and Luke looked at Christopher who was standing in the doorway with a confused expression on his face.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Rory walked into the Dragonfly Inn. She looked around for Dean but didn't see him by the front desk or waiting room. She walked over to Michel who was at the counter. "Hey Michel, have you seen Dean?"  
  
Michel looked up. "No, I have not. I am not supposed to keep tabs on the Jolly Green Giant."  
  
Rory frowned. "Ok, thanks." She walked over to the library but didn't find Dean. When she didn't find him in the dining room or kitchen, she decided to check the bedrooms. She checked in every room, except the last one. When she opened the door she saw Dean standing on a chair fixing the hanging lamp. He looked over to the door to see who entered and gave her a shy smile. Rory gave him and uneasy one. He stepped down from the chair and walked over to her as she shut the door. "Hi," she said nervously.  
  
"Hey."  
  
She walked over to the bed and sat down. He went over and sat down next to her. He opened his mouth to speak, but she put her hand on his mouth. "I really need to tell you this before you say anything." He nodded. She dropped her hand and said. "Well, Dean, I can't do this. I can't be with you."  
  
"But Rory," Dean started to protest.  
  
"Stop. Dean." She looked him in the eyes. "I want to love you so badly, but I can't," she said as her voice started to crack. "My heart just isn't in it. I was thinking in my head that I love you. It's not my head that's supposed to do the talking, it's supposed to be my heart. Dean, you're married. I should have really thought about that before anything happened. It didn't really hit me until my mom told me I was your mistress." Tears started to form in her eyes. "I don't want to be the person who ruins someone's marriage. I can't. Dean, I'm sorry I fell out of love with you in the first place. I don't know why. I wish I could love you again, but I can't fool myself anymore." Dean's eyes filled up with tears as well and Rory's fell. "I want to love you with all of my heart," she whispered, "but my heart won't let me." She sighed as she silently cried.  
  
"Rory." Dean's voice was weak. "I decided to work it out with Lindsey. I haven't told her yet, but now that I know nothing can happen, I'm going to try to save my marriage."  
  
"And I've decided to go to Europe to get over you."  
  
"I thought you said you didn't love me," Dean said with a hint of anger in his voice.  
  
"I'm going to get over you, period. I'm ending this now. I'm moving on so I can be happy. I can't be hung up on you. My trip will be good for both of us," Rory said as she wiped her cheeks. She stood up. "Goodbye Dean."  
  
"Rory, wait," Dean said standing up, too. Rory didn't stop, though. She just kept on walking out the door and out of sight. Dean knew he would never be able to be with her again.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: Ok, next chapter will be Rory telling Lorelai she's leaving, confrontations with Chris and Lorelai, and Meg and Luke. Please review! Au revoir for now! 


	9. Confrontations of the 3rd Kind

A/N: Hello all you crazy kids! I almost fell out of inspiration, but it's back! Thanks reviewers! Let's go.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
"Christopher?" Lorelai said with disbelief.  
  
"Hey Lor."  
  
"What...why are you here?"  
  
Chris shrugged. "To see my daughter and her mother."  
  
"Ok, well, hi. Rory's out, you can see her later. Bye," Lorelai said as she walked toward him.  
  
"Lor," Chris said while putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her. He looked at her closely. "Were you making out with someone?"  
  
Lorelai pulled back embarrassed. "What? Why would you say that?"  
  
"You look flushed, and your lipstick is a little smeared."  
  
"Um, I say Rory earlier, and she was in hysterics."  
  
"What? What's wrong with her?"  
  
Lorelai held up a hand. "Nothing you can fix, Chris."  
  
"You're the father?" Meg suddenly asked.  
  
Chris looked at her. "Rory? Yeah. Who are you?"  
  
Meg stepped closer to Luke. "I was Luke's high school sweetheart."  
  
"What?" Lorelai asked. She looked at Luke. "You never told me about her."  
  
Luke shifted on his feet. "Well, I didn't think it was important."  
  
"I'm not important?" Meg asked him. "I heard you just got divorced, I'm here to help."  
  
"He doesn't need help," Lorelai said.  
  
"Oh, and you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I know. I helped him with it."  
  
"Um, Lor, we should go," Chris said.  
  
"What?" Lorelai turned to face him. She bent over and grabbed Chris' wrist and looked at his watch. "Shoot! I have to go." She turned around in a circle. She then faced Luke. "Where did I put my purse?"  
  
Luke looked at the counter and saw her purse on one of the seats. He grabbed it and walked over to her with it. Suddenly it rang. "No cell phones," he told her.  
  
She smirked as she grabbed the purse and answered it. Luke was about to protest but she covered his mouth with her hand. "Hello?" she spoke into the phone. "Rory? What's wrong?...Oh my God. Ok, calm down, I'll be right there...I know, babe. Don't worry, I'll drive fast." She hung up the phone and dropped her hand.  
  
"Lorelai, what's wrong?" Luke asked her.  
  
Lorelai was staring at her phone. She turned to look at Luke with tears in her eyes and said, "She finally ended it." Every one looked confused. Lorelai started to cry and Luke pulled her into a hug. Meg and Chris looked on with slightly angry expressions. When Luke had calmed her down, Lorelai pulled away. "Crap, I have to get to her." Lorelai turned and ran out the door toward her jeep.  
  
Chris, Luke, and Meg watched her drive off. "What was that about?" Chris asked Luke.  
  
Luke shrugged as he stared out the window. "Something big."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai raced to the inn as fast as she could go. As soon as she pulled up she ran out of her jeep toward her office. Once she got inside she saw Rory sitting in her chair sobbing quietly. She looked at her daughter and walked over to her. Rory saw her walking toward her and whimpered, "Mommy," before Lorelai kneeled beside the chair and pulled Rory into her arms. They were like that for almost a half hour until Rory pulled away from Lorelai. "Mom, I'm going to Europe with Grandma tomorrow."  
  
Lorelai eyes widened. "What? You can't be going, Rory. You need to stay here so I can help you."  
  
Rory shook her head. "I need to get away so I can move on and Dean can get over me."  
  
Lorelai frowned. "Do you really think going away is the best answer?"  
  
"Yes, Mommy, I need to breathe."  
  
Lorelai nodded. "Fine. How long will you be gone?"  
  
"Two months."  
  
"I can't survive without you that long, babe! What about the opening?"  
  
"Mom, I'm sorry, I forgot about the opening," Rory said. "I've just been thinking about other things, I'm sorry."  
  
"It's ok," Lorelai said while stroking Rory's lower arm. "You also wont' be able to help me pick out clothes for my second date with Luke."  
  
Rory smiled. "You guys are going on another date?" Lorelai nodded. "Yay! Mom, I'm happy for you." Rory leaned over and hugged her mom.  
  
"Thanks, sweets." Rory pulled away and looked at her mom. "You know, there's someone who came hoping to see you."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Christopher."  
  
"Dad? No way."  
  
"Way. He came into the diner as I was have a lovely little argument with Luke's high school sweetheart."  
  
"What? Luke had a sweetheart?"  
  
"Apparently. It started out nice, but then it became rude. Chris asked who she is, because she was insulting me and Chris, and she said she was Luke's high school sweetheart. I so wasn't prepared for that. And then well, my lunch break was over. Still no food. Wow, I can't seem to organize anything anymore, huh?"  
  
"Why is Dad here?" Rory asked.  
  
"He wanted to see you and me. I guess he's going to see more of me than you," Lorelai said standing up.  
  
Rory stood up as well. She hugged Lorelai again. "I love how you make me forget about my problems."  
  
Lorelai hugged her back. "No problem."  
  
She released Rory. "I better go pack."  
  
"Yeah, and go see if you can find Chris."  
  
"Ok, I love you, Mom."  
  
"Love you, too." Rory walked over to the door and left. Lorelai sighed and sat down in her chair. "Why do I the longest days of my life back to back?" she asked herself.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"So is that Lorelai your girlfriend?" Meg asked after Chris left.  
  
Luke went around cleaning up the tables. "So why are you here, Meg?"  
  
"You're avoiding my question," she said as she watched him move from table to table.  
  
He stopped and looked at her. "I don't know."  
  
"What do you mean you don't know? Either she is or she isn't."  
  
The bell rang as someone entered the diner. "I'm not having this conversation now," Luke said as he went to go take Kirk's order.  
  
"Luke, I want to thank you again for what you did the other night," Kirk said as Luke walked over to his table.  
  
Luke groaned. "You know, I distinctly remember telling you to never mention it again."  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just that without your help, Lulu might have been worried without me there."  
  
"Kirk. Stop. If you want to talk about, you never get fed here again."  
  
"Got it," Kirk said. He sat up straight and looked at directly of what was in front of him which happened to be Meg. "You're new."  
  
Meg smiled at him. "It's me, Kirk. Meg Unger."  
  
Kirk's eyes grew wide. "Wow. Meg! You look so different," he said looking her over.  
  
She looked at him. "Well, you look...the same to me."  
  
He smiled. "Thanks, I've been trying to stay youthful."  
  
"You're doing a very good job of it."  
  
Kirk's smile grew wider. "You're still as nice as ever."  
  
"I have to be! I have to protect everyone from my big mean boyfriends."  
  
"Yeah, you rarely ever let Luke hurt me. I thank you for that."  
  
"You're welcome. So, why were you thanking Luke?"  
  
"It's not important," Luke said.  
  
"Oh yes it is! He saved me," Kirk said.  
  
"Wow! You two must be the best of friends now!" Meg exclaimed.  
  
Kirk grinned. "Well, I'd like to think that."  
  
Luke set a plate in front of Kirk. "Shut up and eat."  
  
"Luke, I didn't even order yet."  
  
As Luke walked away he said, "It's your usual, now eat it and get out." He walked behind the counter and started wiping it down.  
  
"Ah, Luke, that's not a very nice thing to say to your best friend," Meg joked.  
  
"He's not my best friend." The familiar bell rang as someone entered. Luke looked up. "Rory." Meg turned around and looked at the girl who had just walked in. She looked tired and hurt. Her eyes were red and puffy. And her lips formed a deep frown. Rory came up and sat at the counter a few stools away from Meg. Luke poured a cup of coffee and set it in front of Rory.  
  
"Thanks, Luke," Rory said as she wrapped her hands around the mug.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
Rory looked into the brown liquid. "Not really." She looked up at him again. "I guess Mom's told you already."  
  
Luke shook his head. "No, but she did say it was big." Rory nodded and looked away. "Do you want to talk about it?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.  
  
"I can't, Luke. I just need to get over him."  
  
"Him?" Rory bit her bottom lip. "Rory, who's 'him?' Is it Dean?" Rory shyly looked at the stool beside her and nodded.  
  
"I did something with him."  
  
Luke suddenly became very nervous and awkward. "Oh, uh, well...a-are you, you know, ok?"  
  
Rory looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I don't know." She broke down and started crying. Luke walked around the counter and sat next to her. He pulled her into a hug as she cried. After a few minutes she pulled away wiping her eyes. "You think I would run out from all the crying I've been doing."  
  
"Look, Rory, I'll...I'll make him pay for wh-"  
  
"No!" She looked at Luke. "You can't do that. I told him to move on and get over me. If Lindsey saw him come home all bloody, she'd be suspicious. You can't do anything."  
  
Luke nodded. "It's going to take him a really long time to get over you."  
  
Rory nodded. "I know."  
  
They heard a chair shift and the bell over the door ring. Luke quickly stood up. "Damn it!"  
  
"What?" Rory asked.  
  
"Kirk heard you." Rory eyes' became wide with fear. Luke looked at her and back and the retreating figure of Kirk. "I'll be right back." He then ran off after Kirk. She watched him catch up to Kirk and grab him by the collar. She watched their mouths as they exchanged words and then Luke let Kirk go. Luke came back into the diner and gave Rory a small smile. "Don't worry; I've got it taken care of."  
  
Rory smiled at him. "Thanks, Luke."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lorelai was calculating the budget when there was a knock at her door. "Come in," she said as she wrote down their new budget on piece of paper. She looked up and saw Chris standing in her doorway. "Chris."  
  
"Hey," he said as he walked in and shut the door behind him. "I can't find Rory anywhere."  
  
"Did you try the house?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well, she's not here, so have you tried the diner?"  
  
"We were just there."  
  
"Well, she was here when I left, so maybe she's eating something." Her phone rang. "Hang on." She picked up the receiver and said, "Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking."  
  
"Hey Lorelai," a gruff voice said.  
  
"Oh, hey Luke. What's up?"  
  
"Um, Rory just left here, and she told me about Dean."  
  
"She did?" Lorelai was surprised. "Wow, I didn't think she'd tell anyone except me. I'm not sure she's going to relieve all the facts to my mother."  
  
"Yeah, well, two other people know."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Meg and Kirk."  
  
"Why do they know?"  
  
"They overheard our conversation. I had to bribe Kirk to keeping it a secret, but I'm pretty sure Meg won't tell anyone."  
  
"But you did ask her not to, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Good. So, did she say she was going home?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Yeah, she said something about packing. Do you know what that's about?"  
  
"Um, actually I do. She's going to Europe this summer."  
  
"I thought she went with you last summer."  
  
"She did, but Emily offered a real trip this time. I still think backpacking was super fun."  
  
"How long is she going?"  
  
"Two months." Lorelai looked over at Christopher's shocked expression. "Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, all right?"  
  
"Ok, bye."  
  
"Bye." Lorelai hung up the phone and turned to look at Chris. "So, there are some things that need to be said, but first you need to get back to the house because Rory's on her way there to pack. It's better the whole story comes from her rather than me. So, go."  
  
Chris stood up with a dazed expression on his face. "Right, um, bye."  
  
He walked out the door and closed it behind him. Lorelai sighed as she picked up the paper and looked at the very small number on it.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
A/N: Ok, not a whole lot of Chris/Lorelai stuff; that will be later. I'm only doing this because of spoilers. Anywho, Meg is an original character and there will be more of her. I'll try to put Rory in later chapters, but I don't know if I want to do that. Well, please review. Au revoir for now! 


End file.
